Qatar foreign minister denounces ‘unfair’, ‘illegal’ sanctions

PARIS (AFP) – Qatar’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani on Monday denounced the sanctions imposed against Doha by Saudi Arabia and its allies as “unfair” and “illegal”.”Whatever relates to our foreign affairs… no one has the right to discuss,” Sheikh Mohammed said during a visit to Paris, calling for “dialogue based on clear foundations” over accusations that Qatar supports extremist groups.

“Qatar is willing to sit and negotiate about whatever is related to Gulf security,” Sheikh Mohammed told a news conference.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt this month announced they had suspended ties with Qatar over the emirate’s alleged support for extremists, banning all flights to and from Doha and shutting down the offices of the country’s national carrier.

The unprecedented Gulf diplomatic crisis has seen the four countries give Qatari nationals two weeks to leave the country.